Panacea
by KatMaxKu
Summary: In a time of war, they find within themselves and each other a few things that neither of them expected. And because Sakura needs to get over Sasuke and Shee needs to learn to lighten up. Rated M for a reason.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Is it just me, or has anybody else noticed what a hottie Shee is?

I think he needs to get laid...

And I think Sakura needs to get over Sasuke...

XP

* * *

><p>"I was ordered by Yamanaka Inoichi of the Intelligence Division to report to the captain of the Logistical Support and Medical Division."<p>

Sakura's head popped up at the question and immediately met a pair of dark, intense eyes, but only a moment later turned away from hers to give their attention to Akimichi Goro, who was guarding the headquarters of Shizune's division.

Goro's naginata was already up in a defensive position as soon as the other man entered the tent. "Identify yourself," the humongous man practically boomed, brimming with frustration and anxiety. The poor Akimichi was dealing with a lot at the moment.

"My name is Shee and I am second in command to Ao of the Sensor Division. Yamanaka-san received intel regarding the enemy's ability to use the Transformation jutsu to replicate members of the Allied Shinobi Forces and-"

"You're division has already touched base with headquarters," Sakura broke in, leaning around the massive body that was Goro. "Why did they send someone from Sensory if you've been updated?"

The man - Shee, as he called himself - turned his austere gaze to Sakura. "I am also a skilled medic nin. I was ordered to meet with the captain of the Medical Division to receive instructions and training on the new information that's been gathered about the enemy."

Sakura's brows shot up. He was a medic nin? Her eyes quickly scanned his appearance. As most shinobi in the Allied Forces, he retained the standard garb of his village, marking him as a Kumo nin. He had sandy blonde hair that was disarrayed in its layering, a strong, pronounced jawline and a long, thin nose. His most distinguishable feature were his eyes; severe, passionate and serious in their observation. He didn't look anything like a medical nin, but, Sakura knew, to most people she didn't look like one either.

She noticed that he was watching her closely as she analyzed him, but then he stood a little more erectly, and Sakura almost choked out a laugh when he suddenly saluted.

"Forgive me, but I was remiss in remembering that, in light of recent events, any shinobi entering the headquarters of the Medical Division is to say the secret password signifying that they are not a clone of the enemy."

Sakura smiled easily, waving her hand dismissively. "You've already said it. The enemy doesn't know we're using a password, so I know you check out okay. Besides, that's what Goro is for," she patted the large man on the arm.

Shee looked fairly uncertain, as if the lack of formality and professionalism was more bewildering than disarming, but dropped his military pose, nonetheless.

"You said you were looking for the captain of our division? That's Shizune-senpai, but she's not here at the moment. My name's Haruno Sakura and I-"

She paused when she saw the recognition flash across Shee's features.

"Sakura? You're the one that notified headquarters after you discovered the infiltrators."

She nodded, smiling again. "Yes. If you would like, I can spell you with the information you came for," she said, turning around and, with a nod, bringing their attention to the Zetsu clone on the examining table that she was currently autopsying.

Again, he appeared hesitant.

"What's wrong? I don't bite," Sakura stated teasingly, and when Shee's eyebrows pushed together in what seemed like consternation she suddenly felt like a gigantic idiot.

"I was told to ask for the captain of the Logistical Support and Medical Division," he replied evenly.

Apparently he was all work and no play. Sakura shrugged and started to turn around to go back to her work. "I'm not sure where she went. You can stay here or go look for her. You're choice."

When she returned to her workstation she knew what she had to do, and in her periphery she saw Goro stiffen. The truth was, absolutely _no one_ was allowed to see Shizune since the white Zetsu clones were assassinating all of the jonin-ranked medical nin. Sakura first needed to see what his motives were, i.e., if he was going to attempt to kill her. The first symptom of that intention would be if he started pressing Sakura to see her captain. Goro was not going to let Shee leave the tent.

Like she had told him, he seemed less like the enemy since he knew that Sakura contacted HQ with the new intel and since he knew all personnel entering the Medical Division HQ were required to recite a password, but Sakura knew one couldn't be too careful. She wasn't going to take any chances. Right now, she was actually trying to decipher if the Zetsu clones only absorbed the chakra and copied its user's appearances, or if those damn plant things could actually take up the thought processes of the original, as well. Perhaps this "Shee" was not Shee but a clone and was captured after all of the necessary information was acquired to get close to the Medical Division HQ.

So far, this Shee guy was the only one who has entered the tent since the mandate went out that Shizune was to be concealed. Sakura was going to bide her time and closely watch his actions.

Taking hold of a scalpel, she inhaled deeply and steeled herself for cutting open the skull of the Zetsu clone. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Shee leaning against one of the structural pillars holding the tent up in place, his arms crossed, his expression impassive, but she could tell he was interested in what she was doing. It was that intense gaze of his that was locked on her, reading and studying all of her movements just as she was his.

"Is that a clone?" Shee suddenly asked, and with the scalpel suspended over the clone's head, Sakura stopped and looked over at him.

"Yes. He was impersonating-" She was going to tell Shee it was Hyuuga Neji, but chances were he probably didn't know who Neji was. "...a shinobi from Konoha and-"

"Are the clones impersonating _only_ Konoha shinobi?"

Sakura had turned her attention back to her project, but at Shee's question - his tone accusing - her head snapped back in his direction, her eyes narrowing and glaring balefully.

"What the hell are you implying?" she ground out between clenched teeth. Ever since the war started, and even after Gaara's passionate speech, there were shinobi that still held resentment for various past grievances or following overall ignorant hostility practiced between one hidden village towards another, though it was held at bay and redirected towards the war effort. However, comments, blatant or subtle, were still distributed here and there. Like now. And Shee's accusation was meant to be _heard_.

Sakura watched as her supposed counterpart medic nin's mouth quirked into an arrogant smirk. "I take it you're from Konoha then." Then it dropped almost instantly and his expression once more evened out into a serious veneer. "It would be just like the enemy to use Konoha's shinobi to thwart the war."

Sakura's eyes widened considerably and her jaw unhinged. "Wha...?" She didn't even have any words to express how incorrigible his were.

Shee continued as if unaware of Sakura's incredulity. "In fact, at present time, the enemy is using a rogue shinobi from Konoha against the Allied Shinobi Forces."

Too many thoughts were scrambling in her mind for her to form a coherent response, let alone a witty one or one that would put Shee in his place, but his last sentence made her pause. Knowing the rogue shinobi he was referring to, Sakura pointed an indignant finger at him and yelled, "What does Sasuke-kun have to do with the Zetsu clones copying shinobi from Konoha? And by the way, it's not _just_ Konoha shinobi...they're copying shinobi from every village!"

Shee's eyes narrowed at something Sakura said and she waited for his response.

"Sasuke-_kun_?" he asked derisively. "Do you mean _Uchiha_ Sasuke?"

Sakura was like a can of pop that had been shaken and if opened, would explode. Shee had been right on the verge of saying something that would have unintentionally, or intentionally, popped the top to make Sakura lose it, but then he asked about Sasuke, and her anger immediately dissipated.

She heard about the incident at the Kage Summit. She knew that the Raikage had basically challenged Sasuke because his brother, the host of the Hachibi, had been captured by the Uchiha. She also knew that the Raikage had lost his left arm because Sasuke burned it off with his Amaterasu. She also knew Sasuke openly attacked the Raikage's escorts, and she put two and two together after hearing Shee's revolted tone as he was speaking of her teammate..._former_ teammate.

She lowered her hand and cast her eyes to the ground. Though his lack of trust in _all_ Konoha shinobi was misplaced, his anger certainly wasn't; She couldn't blame him for that.

"I heard about what happened at the Kage summit," she began in a small, sorrowful voice. "And I'm sorry about what Sasuke-kun did. He...Sasuke-kun...he's just...he's being led down the wrong path because he's so blind to his anger and hate, but you can't hold it against him-"

"Another Konoha shinobi apologizing on behalf of a murderous traitor?"

Sakura winced at Shee's words; not because of the amount of revulsion he put into them but because the veracity of them was becoming undeniable.

She didn't respond. What could she say? Ever since the encounter in the Land of Iron where Sasuke told her to kill Karin, then he attempted to kill _her_ had left Sakura reeling with hurt, anger and despondency. She still couldn't quite believe that Sasuke would use a jutsu on her in a deadly manner. He had fallen so far and Sakura was to the point where she believed the Sasuke she and Naruto knew back on Team 7 was never going to come back. But also, her ever compassionate nature, and a part of her that was a little sick and twisted still..._longed_ for him like she did when she was twelve. Back then she knew she loved him; when he left to grasp for Orochimaru's power, she told him so, told him that she would follow him anywhere. Did she still love him like that? Sakura didn't know anymore, but one thing she did know: she was losing faith in him.

For the sake of the war, for the sake of the Allied Shinobi Forces, for this man that was her comrade, and finally for the sake of finding out whether or not he was an enemy, Sakura could only concede. It both saddened and angered Sakura that it was still difficult for her to do it.

"Yes, Shee-san, you're right. I...shouldn't be apologizing for someone like him. You see, I have a history with Sasuke-kun. We graduated from the Academy together and were put on the same genin team. It's still hard for me to reconcile who he was back then with who he has become, but regardless, he has done many horrible things that cannot be justified or explained away, so I have to...agree with your sentiment."

Sakura wasn't sure if it was her words or her meek tone that unpinched Shee's brows, but eventually he took up his seemingly normal expression of seriousness as he regarded her after her speech.

After a long moment where Sakura waited for his response, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, uncomfortable from the other nin's scrutiny. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Goro hadn't moved a muscle, but she was certain he was eavesdropping.

"I'm assuming that you're Uzumaki Naruto's other teammate then?"

Sakura's eyes widened slightly at this query.

"Yes, how did you-?"

"He came to us right before the Kage summit, asking Raikage-sama to pardon Uchiha Sasuke for his crime of capturing and murdering Bee-sama, the Raikage's brother."

Sakura's eyes grew wider at his statement. Shee put up a hand.

"Well, it turns out Uchiha Sasuke capturing Bee-sama was a fluke, but that doesn't negate his crime of attempting to kill him."

"No, it doesn't," Sakura readily agreed.

They stood in awkward silence for a few long moments. Sakura found something on the ground quite fascinating as Shee continued to observe her in his intense way.

"You know," she said, finally looking up. "Sasuke-kun...Sasuke...he tried to kill me."

She kept her eyes locked on Shee's, trying to decipher a reaction. There was none, so she continued.

"When we were thirteen, Sasuke left to chase after Orochimaru. You've heard of him?"

Shee nodded and Sakura still gleaned nothing from his expressionless features.

"Tsunade-sama assigned a team to track down Sasuke and bring him back to Konoha. Naruto was part of that team. Before they left, I made Naruto promise to bring Sasuke back. They had failed obviously. When Naruto returned he told me he would always keep his promise." Here Sakura hesitated, bitter tears of remorse stinging her eyes. "And he always has. To this day, in spite of everything Sasuke has done, Naruto kept trying, hence why he went all the way to you guys asking for forgiveness on Sasuke's behalf. It's partly because of that promise he made to me that he keeps trying, but I wanted to relieve him of it, and the best way I knew how was to kill Sasuke myself."

She stopped again when she finally coaxed a reaction from Shee. One of his light brown eyebrows rose in interest.

"I found Sasuke right after he had just killed Shimura Danzo. I told him that I would betray Konoha and even help him destroy it if he would take me with him. To test this, he ordered that I kill one of his teammates who was already fatally wounded, which I later learned he caused. But anyway, so I went to kill her, not intending to but was going to kill Sasuke instead, but he came up behind me and tried to kill me. Kakashi-sensei showed up and stopped him. I healed Sasuke's teammate, but I was determined to see it to the end. I went to kill Sasuke again, but..."

Sakura had been trying her hardest to hold the tears in, but they refused to be dammed any further.

"In the end I couldn't do it. He tried to kill me again, but this time Naruto came to help me."

Sakura didn't know why she was unleashing all of this on this unsuspecting stranger, but she couldn't stop herself now.

"I...I...part of me wishes that Sasuke was dead so he won't cause any more harm, but another part of me wishes he would let go of his revenge and come back to Konoha!"

Sakura took a few moments to sob into her hands, but she was still mindful of the fact that Shee probably wouldn't sympathize with her, that he was still a relative stranger, and that the overall situation was just so awkward that she quickly sniffed loudly and hastily wiped her tears away.

"I'm really sorry...this is so weird...it's just...well-"

"It's alright," Shee finally said and Sakura looked up at him with large, surprised eyes. "Now that I've gotten a little more of the history, I suppose I can understand where you and Uzumaki Naruto are coming from."

Sakura was mildly shocked to gain his understanding. She nodded, still trying to clear the tears from her face.

"Thank you, but that still doesn't excuse Sasuke in any way, shape, or form. And you're right. Though he hasn't been spotted in battle yet, it is clear that his intentions are to aid Akatsuki in this war. In fact, I was there when Sasuke told Naruto that Naruto had to kill him to stop him from destroying Konoha." Sakura took a huge, calming breath. "This whole thing just sucks."

Shee suddenly laughed, and Sakura had to join him. This whole war was based on protecting Naruto, and Bee, from Akatsuki capturing them.

"So," Shee said, walking up to Sakura and nodding toward the Zetsu corpse. "What information have you found so far?"

And Sakura realized then that he certainly wasn't an enemy and she smiled as she prepared to fill him in.


	2. Chapter 2

Hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Years! *cheers*

* * *

><p>"Hey Konohamaru!" Sakura proclaimed, delighted to see her kohai and comrade.<p>

Sakura had walked into the mess hall to see that it was pretty much vacant except for a few other shinobi sitting in the corner whom she didn't recognize at first glance. When she trained her eyes to study the group more closely she saw Shee sitting with what appeared to be others from Kumo. He looked deeply involved in the conversation as he didn't even look up at her entrance so she didn't attempt to get his attention.

After spending all of yesterday afternoon filling him in with all of the necessary information about the Zetsu clones Sakura concluded that she rather liked the guy. She learned he was a jounin and he expressed amazement that she was still only a chuunin but so talented as a medic nin. He commented that she seemed to be at least jounin ranked when it came to that aspect of her shinobihood and she was flattered at his unwarranted compliment. They spent the majority of the time in the lab (well, it was a tent with lab settings) then she introduced him to Shizune, who took over from there. Later on she ran into him again in this very mess hall and they shared a meal together before Sakura went back to her duties. She hadn't seen him at all today and was pleased at not eating alone and perhaps getting to know more people from his village.

"Hey Sakura," the young Sarutobi responded glumly. He unenthusiastically plopped rice onto Sakura's tray. He was standing on the other side of the line obviously serving it.

"Why the long face?" Sakura asked, taking a few pickles and settling them alongside the rice. "You haven't been here since the start of the war. I thought you'd be excited to get out of Konoha for a little while."

Konohamaru suddenly threw his hands up in the air. "I was! But what's my assignment when I get here?" He looked around himself with an expression a child might wear when asked to clean their room. "I'm stuck on meal detail!" he practically screamed out in frustration. "I thought for once, _finally_, I get to see some action! But nooo...I'm ordered to do the same lame-ass things I was ordered to do back home!"

Sakura blinked at his outrage, but was then promptly infuriated herself. She dropped her tray onto the metal counter, a loud _clank _echoing throughout the mostly empty room, and she stepped right up to Konohamaru and grabbed him by his shirt collar.

"Listen here," she growled low, looking him directly in the eye. "You have no idea what this war is like...what _war_ is like." She thought back to her battle against Zabuza and Haku: their black, dead eyes, their inability to move of their own accord because of the enemy's control, all the bodies littered around, the blood, the detached body parts, the heat, smoke, people crying out in pain and the ominous sounds of imminent death...

"This isn't fun and games. This isn't even like the chuunin exams, which you have yet to take part in. This is _war_ and that means death is all around us. There is an enemy out there actively pursuing our ruin. I almost got attacked by an enemy clone when I had just finished healing him. _Healing_ him! They have infiltrated our camp and people are dying by the dozens because they have found a way in!" She pulled him closer so their noses were almost touching. "Don't start whining to me about how you're not out there on the battlefield because you have _no idea_ what it's like!"

The grandson of the late Third Hokage looked sufficiently chastised. He pulled back when Sakura released him and smoothed out his clothes. "H-hai!"

Then Sakura felt guilty. She sighed heavily, sagging her shoulders, realizing all she did was just relieve her pent up emotions onto poor Konohamaru. "Look, sorry. Things are really tense around here with the enemy attacking and killing our medics. I understand you don't want to be out there just because you're bored. You're a shinobi...die with honor and glory and all that, right?"

Konohamaru's eyes that were wide with fright now gleamed with eagerness. "It's hard, you know, watching your friends go out there and fight for Naruto-niichan when that's all I want to be doing!"

Sakura spared a roll of her eyes and ruffled the genin's dark brown hair that was sticking up every which way behind his Allied Forces hitai-ate. "I know. I get it. If I were in your shoes I would be feeling the exact same way. Besides, what you're doing here and back home is also helping those out on the battlefield tremendously."

Konohamaru's frown returned but was not as sulky as his previous one. "Yeah, I know."

She chuckled lightly, then started to eye the food warily. "So, anything good?"

When she left the food line she made her way over to the other occupants of the mess hall. It was evident that they saw the exchange between herself and her younger Leaf comrade because when she drew nearer and saw that her intention was to sit with them they immediately became quiet. Shee looked up at her expectantly but did not address her. _Okaaay_...

Sakura thought it was weird that he didn't acknowledge her but brushed it aside.

"Hey Shee-san. Mind if I join you guys?"

It was him and two other male Kumo nin. One of them was checking her out without even attempting to hide it and the other looked at Shee. Shee suddenly looked...uncomfortable.

"Uhh...we're almost done," he answered lamely.

Sakura saw that their half-eaten meals indicated otherwise.

Perhaps it was the anxiety she was feeling because of the war or maybe it was because there was still a remnant of the aggravation she experienced with Konohamaru a few minutes ago but suddenly she was peeved again. She put one hand on her hip.

"What's the problem?" she asked testily. She could see what Shee was doing. He was trying to convey he didn't really want her to sit with them without being overtly rude. That just didn't make any sense! Sakura was given the impression yesterday, except for their initial meeting, that they were able to get along. Maybe not friends, but certainly not enemies.

"Yeah, what's the problem, Shee-san?" the shinobi that was looking at Shee asked, his voice raised an octave so as to sound feminine, obviously mocking Sakura. Shee's dark eyes narrowed at his compatriot but said nothing.

Sakura just didn't understand, but ultimately it wasn't worth the effort to mull over. Instead, since her anger was so red hot she wondered if she had steam coming out of her ears, she focused her chakra to the very tip of her finger and gently touched the edge of the table. Conversely, the added chakra to the surface of the table probably amounted to that of a sledge-hammer being pounded into it, but with the surface area of her finger being so small it resulted in just a fraction of the table being broken. Sakura knew her quick calculations were correct because the portion where Shee's tray was resting suddenly lifted and landed right into his face, food and fluids flying all around.

"What the hell...?" she heard one of the other nins say, hastily leaning away so not to get food on himself, but Sakura kept focusing on Shee.

"I don't know what the deal is but you're an asshole!" she yelled then stormed off without a backward glance.

She slapped impatiently at the mess hall's tent flap and stomped outside. She was met with various shinobi milling about, talking casually in groups and others running around, probably completing errands on someone's orders. No one paid any attention to her and she didn't spare a look at anyone else as she huffed away. Then she realized she was still holding her tray. Crap. She really didn't want to go back inside and face Shee again. Instead of going all the way to her quarters she decided she would eat in the woods circling the compound. She made a sharp right and found a little path between the earth barrier some of Iwa's doton users had set up. It took her away from the hub-bub of activity in the compound and she could eat in peace but still be within the safety zone.

She sat down against a tree that still kept the path in her line of sight. She picked up some fish with her chopsticks but looked up when she heard footsteps approaching. Her eyes immediately met the dark ones of Shee as he briskly walked toward her. He looked raring for a confrontation and anticipation of an altercation made Sakura swiftly stand.

He stopped a few feet in front of her. "What the hell is your problem?" he demanded, the same question she had asked him back in the mess hall.

He had rice grains stuck in various places in his hair, a brown sauce that was smeared across his cheek, like he tried to rub it off but wasn't completely successful without a mirror, and specks of soy sauce dotted over his face, neck, flak jacket and exposed part of his arms.

Sakura fully intended to lash back out at him, but the sight of Shee's nose flaring, his eyes wild with anger, and the bits of food on him took the wind right out of her sails. She let out a bark of uncontrolled laughter and covered her mouth at the unexpected reaction. When Shee's eyes widened further and his jaw clenched Sakura continued guffawing, placing her hands on her knees. She didn't stop until she felt tears form in her eyes.

When she looked up she found Shee no longer angry but his mouth frowned in bemusement.

"I'm sorry-" Sakura stammered between giggles. "Here, let me..."

She walked up to him and ruffled his hair. The sticky rice didn't want to come out so that resulted her in plucking them individually. Shee turned his body slightly away from her and Sakura noticed the movement.

"Do you want me to get this out or not?" she meant to ask sharply but came out as giggles instead since she still thought it was funny.

He didn't answer so she kept at it. Then she walked over to where her food tray was and picked up a napkin.

"You've got some...um...there some-" she tried to get out amidst a few chortles but started giggling again.

"Gimme that," Shee snapped, snatching the napkin out of her grasp. Sakura watched in amusement as he perfunctorily wiped the napkin over his face. He didn't get it all.

"Oh, let me help you," she said condescendingly, taking the napkin and taking over.

She was concentrating on the spots on his face but when she looked up into his eyes she saw that he was studying her intensely. She remembered vaguely that he did that yesterday, too, when they were working together. She didn't know if that was the way he looked with everyone or not, but it unnerved her a little.

"Sorry about that," Sakura softly, sounding remorseful. She wiped away some that got on his ear then worked her way downward onto his arms. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt and elbows guards so she proceeded over his shoulders and biceps. She swallowed hard, attempting to keep her mind on her task and not the thick bands of muscles.

"You should be sorry. That was rude."

Sakura looked back up and saw that he was still observing her closely. His tone lacked censure; he stated it like it was fact.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Well, you were being rude first," she answered indignantly. "I don't understand why you didn't want me to sit with you, but whatever."

She received no answer to that so when she was finished she balled the napkin up and threw it onto her tray. They stared at each other for a few brief, awkward moments before looking away. The birds chirping, the gently rustling leaves from the trees and the busy sounds of the shinobi over in the compound were the only noises.

"Uh...did you get any more orders from HQ as to where you'll be stationed next?" Sakura asked hesitantly, feeling like she needed to fill the uncomfortable silence with polite questions.

Shee cleared his throat. "Yes. Since I completed my training here with the Medical Division I'll be heading back to the Sensor Division for more Detection Barrier exercises. We have received reports from the Intelligence Division that the six captured jinchuuriki have been resurrected."

Sakura blinked in shock. "What?" This was the first she was hearing of this.

"Yes," Shee went on. "HQ is currently dispatching Naruto's clones to every division to help out with distinguishing the Zetsu clones from the Allied Forces shinobi and the real Naruto is to meet the jinchuuriki on the battlefield-"

Sakura was nearly hysterical. "What?" she shrieked. "Naruto is _fighting_?"

Shee only raised his brows at her.

"They're supposed to be hiding him!"

There were a few moments where nothing was said. Shee seemed to be allowing Sakura time to digest this new information.

"Naruto is the only person that can detect the Zetsu clones because of his nine-tails chakra," Shee responded calmly.

Sakura was pulling at her hair in despondency but suddenly stopped. "Oh." The Zetsu clones absorbed the chakra of their victims so no typical chakra sensor could detect them. "I see. Hm. Makes sense. But still! This war is to protect Naruto - and B-san - from Akatsuki and they're just flippantly allowing Naruto to run around-!"

Shee held up a hand to stop Sakura's tirade. "I don't think HQ has flippantly decided anything," he contradicted. "Do you not have more faith in your teammate?" he asked.

Sakura bristled defensively. "That's not the point! It's not safe for Naruto to be so exposed to the enemy!"

"I don't think the heads of the Shinobi Alliance - your Hokage - have made any rash decisions regarding Naruto's involvement in the war."

Sakura thought back to just after Tsunade met with the other leaders of the Alliance when she was complaining about how the other Kage basically overruled her opinion that Naruto be on the battlefield instead of being confined. From the very beginning her Shishou had thought Naruto should be fighting and now it turns out her initial assessment was correct and being put into action.

Sakura sighed wearily and rubbed at her forehead absently. "This isn't going to get any easier, is it?" she said rhetorically. Then she asked, "Well, I'm assuming since B-san was supposed to be helping keep Naruto hidden I guess that means he's fighting, too. Are you okay with that?"

She watched as Shee's eyebrows pinched together in thought. "It's irrelevant whether I'm okay with it. As long as Raikage-sama is aware then it makes no difference what my opinion is."

Sakura frowned. Shouldn't he have more concern for the Raikage's brother, his own comrade? Kumo had just as much stock in this war as Konoha because B was the other jinchuuriki. She shook her head minutely. No matter. Shee seemed to trust the Raikage a lot, if his cavalier attitude about the jinchuurikis fighting was any indication, so Sakura thought perhaps she should have more trust in her Hokage as well.

Shee suddenly changed the subject before she could comment.

"How did you do that?"

A corner of Sakura's mouth lifted in a sly smile, knowing he was referring to what she did with the table.

"Observe," she said, walking over to a tree. She swung her arm in a simple karate chop and the bark splintered, pieces breaking off and flying outward, the trunk cracking from the force of the impact. Sakura didn't want to knock the whole tree down, but the giant fissure she created proved the point. She looked to Shee to see him staring incredulously at the tree, then he turned to face her.

"So, you have super-human strength?" he asked curiously.

"No, well, yes...I am naturally stronger than the average female, and probably most males by definition, but I also have the added advantage of perfect chakra control."

Shee's brows came together in that way that told Sakura he was pondering something and he looked down at the ground, pensive. She waited him out, seeing if he could figure out how she could break tables and crack trees with nothing but her hands. When he looked back up he appeared both pleased and smug.

"So you build up your chakra to a certain point and push it outward at the moment of collision," he said confidently. He tilted his head to the side, thoughtfully observing her. "Come to think of it, I believe I have heard of your abilities. You were trained by your Hokage, right? She has similar abilities."

Sakura nodded. "Yes. Tsunade-sama is my Shishou. She taught me that perfect chakra control helps a lot, but it's also about timing. I could have the aid of my chakra, but without precision I could wind up breaking my hand and arm if I try to punch through an object and the timing's off."

Shee shook his head appreciatively. "That's a very useful skill. In a taijutsu battle I probably wouldn't want to come too close for fear of blunt force trauma."

Sakura chuckled. "You said you came from the Sensor division and that you're going back soon to work on the Barrier Detection exercises...so you're a chakra sensor _and_ a medic nin?" She wanted to know because she had never encountered a shinobi who had both abilities.

"Yes. In the same respect that your chakra control helps your taijutsu, my chakra control enables me to sense the enemy from very far distances, even if they're attempting to mask it, without being inefficient and overusing it."

Sakura studied the blonde-haired shinobi for a few long moments. She was sure glad he was on her side, the side of her village, of Naruto. She wondered what Shee would be like to battle against and started to think of how he might present himself in a situation where he was fighting for his life. He had a serious demeanor that honestly intimidated Sakura slightly. He seemed very intelligent, but she wasn't sure if that was her bias speaking since she knew he was a medic nin and a jounin. Her eyes briefly swept over his physique that she was trying hard not to ogle just a few minutes ago. It was impressive, sure, but it was nothing she hadn't seen before; all male shinobi demonstrated nicely defined muscles. Her eyes met his again and that was when she decided that he would be a formidable opponent for sure. His gaze pervaded her consciousness with such force that it was difficult to look him directly in the eye but equally hard to look away. Shee's gaze reminded her of someone; dark eyes glinting obsidian, severe, daunting.

Sakura suddenly remembered that Shee had fought against Sasuke only too recently. Shee had made it out alive obviously and she was curious to know what kind of injuries he might have sustained, if any. Despite how she felt about Sasuke, she admired Shee for the mere fact that he was standing before her today and had not been taken down by her former teammate.

Shee seemed to catch on to the fact that she was considering him and then Sakura noticed him doing the same to her. His eyes swiftly traveled, going down then back up...twice. Sakura shrugged in on herself slightly, a little uncomfortable but simultaneously flattered of his...consideration. She carefully watched his expression and he didn't seem disappointed. Sakura felt her face and neck grow a few degrees warmer, but then suddenly caught herself. Why was she allowing this Shee to affect her so much? Especially after he was such an asshole?

Shee must have seen the look on Sakura's face and suddenly it appeared like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't. He looked both angry and ashamed.

"I should get back-" Shee started to say.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed quickly, looking down at the ground awkwardly again.

The whole interaction was pretty anticlimactic and Shee began to walk away unceremoniously. Sakura watched his retreating back and was all of a sudden struck frustrated. It wasn't like her to not let him know what she was thinking or feeling and he basically ignored what happened back in the mess hall. If he was leaving today or tomorrow she didn't want things to end on that kind of note.

"Shee!" she called. The way he stopped: falteringly, then turning ever so hesitantly, told Sakura he knew why she was getting his attention.

She walked back up to him, carefully this time so he wouldn't become defensive right away. "Why didn't you want me to sit with you at lunch?" Her voice came out sounding quiet and curious, just how she wanted. And she was right. Instead of trying to thwart off a confrontation, she watched him frown. For just a moment his dark eyes looked sad, but then returned to their normal seriousness.

Sakura waited patiently. She really wanted to know, especially after today's interaction and getting to know him a little more. Shee opened his mouth to speak but he was interrupted by a sudden commotion occurring within the compound. They both looked up and in the general direction and heard several cries and sounds of battle ensuing.

No time for delicate conversation anymore. They both looked back to each other and nodded before rushing back towards the action.

* * *

><p>TBC<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I apologize that this chapter is a little shorter than the others and for the wait on this story. I am attempting to be as compliant with the manga as I can but that requires waiting to see what Kishimoto is going to come up with next. I don't want to jump the gun and write something, then the manga publish something that's completely different from what I wrote, so please excuse the time between updates XD

* * *

><p>As soon as Sakura and Shee entered the compound again they ran off in opposite directions. Sakura didn't have any idea where, or whom, he was going to but her first thought was of Shizune. As she rushed to the tent Shizune was confining herself in she then thought <em>not this shit again!<em> Mini battles were happening all around the compound as people who looked like Allied comrades were attacking other people of the Allied Forces. Sakura shook her head vigorously. _One thing at a time! _she told herself. Shizune was a jōnin ranked medical-nin and the captain of their division; it was of utmost importance that she stay alive.

Thankfully the area of the compound that was housing the Medical Division's headquarters was clear and as Sakura burst into the tent both Shizune and Goro hastily turned to her.

"OPA!" Sakura cried out before either of them could raise a weapon. Shizune nodded grimly in acceptance of the password and Goro's fighting face evened out until he no longer wore an expression.

"What's going on out there?" Shizune inquired of Sakura.

"I'm not sure. I was eating lunch just outside of the compound and then we heard weapons clashing and people screaming and I came straight here. But it looks like the Zetsu clones have infiltrated again!"

Shizune frowned deeply, but then tilted her head to the side in speculation. "We?"

"Ah-" Sakura blushed. "I mean...just this guy...a Kumo nin from the sensor division. The guy you trained yesterday."

"Oh, yes. Shee."

"Shizune-san," Goro broke in. "It's imperative that you stay near me so I can offer you as much as protection as possible."

"Yes, of course, Goro-san. In the meantime, Sakura, while hopefully everything will get straightened out, why don't you help me review the latest intel we have on the enemy's ability to use the henge jutsu?"

"Hai, Shizune-senpai," Sakura said, going over to the rack of medical coats and donning one.

A few minutes into their research they heard faint voices just outside the tent. They both looked up and to each other.

"Please, help us," a voice pleaded.

They both hesitated. Sakura could tell Shizune was going just as stir-crazy as she was. Her senpai was nervously biting her fingernails and Sakura's knee had been bouncing nonstop since she sat down. It felt sacrilegious to just sit while their comrades were battling with a hard-to-detect enemy, but it was their only option at the moment.

"Please, he'll die if he's not helped soon," came the soft voice again, begging.

Sakura and Shizune were out of their seats before the person even finished their sentence.

"Wait!" Goro yelled, but before the two women could reach them he spun with a speed that belied his enormous size and was out of the tent.

Sakura whisked the tent flap aside to see a woman holding up a man. Both looked battle-worn from the dirt and blood covering their clothes. The man looked near collapse.

"Yes! Finally! Please help him!" the woman cried out taking a few steps closer. "He'll die soon if he's not treated!"

"Don't move!" Goro roared, lifting up his Naginata. "Stay where you are!"

The woman looked both helpless and incredulous. "What? Why? My husband! He's-!"

"We don't know if you're the enemy!" Goro answered, pointing his weapon fearlessly at the couple.

The woman's eyes flashed wider with indignation and anger. She then ignored the huge man in front of her and took another step forward.

"Don't come! I said that no one move! How can you prove that you're our allies?" Goro bellowed out.

"But this way he'll just die!" the woman replied. Her husband's knees buckled then and she strained to hold him up. "Please! I beg you to save him! Don't let my husband die in my arms! If you can't trust me then I'll kill myself right now! But please save him..." the woman implored with tears starting to leak out of her eyes.

Sakura's own eyes stung as the woman's situation and countenance tugged at her compassionate nature. "Come," she told the woman gently, waving her forward.

"Thank you," the woman replied gratefully.

"No! They might..." Goro protested.

It all happened so quickly.

The woman was helping her husband towards them, but in a flash and flurry of movement and metal the woman had knocked aside Goro's weapon and then they were both rushing to Sakura, completely unhurt. She was momentarily shocked from the sudden caprice she was experiencing; compassion then abruptly confusion. She knew it was too late and she automatically ducked as they drew their weapons to take her down.

Just as fast as their attack there was a blaze of bright light directly in Sakura's vision. She closed her eyes against the overwhelming illumination, then heard the unmistakable sounds of rasengan meeting flesh. She cracked her eyes open to see a person standing in front her, alight in a shroud of golden incandescence.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" a voice asked within the golden shroud.

"Naruto...?" she asked uncertainly, not recognizing what was in front of her but identifying its chakra, nonetheless.

He was kneeling on the ground but stood abruptly and turned to face her, his trademark toothy grin adorning his face. "You don't seem hurt."

And then he was gone in another flash of light. Sakura leaned forward to follow but Shizune took hold of her sleeve. "He's a clone. He's probably gone to help the others."

"What-?" Sakura started to ask, still a little dazed after the whole affair. "What...was wrong with him?"

Shizune looked perplexed for a second but then smiled knowingly. "There wasn't anything _wrong _with him, Sakura. Didn't you sense it?"

"Sense what?" Sakura responded a little tersely, feeling foolish and somewhat left out, not knowing what the older medic nin was talking about.

"That chakra," Goro interjected. "And that chakra emanating from him."

Shizune's smile widened into satisfaction. "Looks like he did it. Looks like he was able to suppress the nine-tails chakra."

Sakura's brows rose. "Yes. That's right. That's why he's been away, after all. Tsunade-sama asked Raikage-sama if B-san can help Naruto accomplish it. Wow. So that's what it looks like," she said, looking in the direction the Naruto clone had run off to, hoping to catch another glimpse of him, but he was out of sight.

Goro stood in front of the two women, fierce and determined once again. "Can we please go back inside the tent?" he asked sternly.

Sakura and Shizune glanced at each other sheepishly and readily conceded to the Akimichi's request.

* * *

><p>Sakura sat on her cot but then abruptly stood and began pacing again.<p>

After the commotion of the attacks calmed down, Naruto determining who the enemies were, destroying most of them and leaving some for experimentation and after a briefing with Kakashi-sensei - her battle division captain - Sakura confined herself in her quarters, infuriated with herself. She didn't know how Shizune felt but Sakura assumed it was something similar: shame, self-loathing, anger and a hodge-podge of other emotions that were too confusing to immediately identify.

Sakura would never let anyone else know but she secretly thought her emotional nature was a double-edged sword, especially in the shinobi profession.

A medic had to display a certain amount of emotion - particularly compassion - to do their job appropriately. That's what distinguished a medic nin from the rest of the flock. There were some shinobi who couldn't be medic nin because of their lack of chakra control, and others because they lacked the compassion behind their responsibilities.

However, the inherent gentleness of medic nins could be troublesome at times. The situation with those clones earlier was perfect proof.

Sakura was scolding herself for not using her better judgment. She knew there was an enemy out there using Allied Forces disguises and she completely ignored all rules of engagement that came directly from top brass! She knew that Tsunade-sama would be extremely disappointed - at best - of her actions or would likely find some creative yet torturous way to teach her a lesson - at worst. Sakura hoped the Akimichi or Shizune would keep their mouths shut over the incident. Sakura was pretty sure that Shizune wouldn't speak a word of it because then that would put her in the hot seat along with Sakura, and Goro most likely wouldn't say a word because that would prove he was unable to do the job he was ordered to, and that was protect Shizune at all costs.

Sakura hung her head and pulled at her hair, frustrated, tired, and vexed.

So many times her emotions failed her..._especially_ when it came to one particular missing nin.

In vulnerable moments like these Sakura inevitably found herself thinking of the one person she would really rather not.

Just like countless times before she wondered where Sasuke was, what he was doing, how much stronger had he become since the last time...

Sakura usually instinctively pushed the thought out of her mind because it was just too painful to deal with head on, but then she thought _why not? _She was already giving herself an impressive amount of self-flagellation...why not add to it?

She wondered how much stronger he had become since he tried to kill her.

Along with the despair she felt at what occurred at their last encounter there was also shock and a level of anger that she didn't even know she was capable of feeling.

Sakura felt herself plop down onto her cot hard. She allowed the intense, heart-wrenching anger to completely consume her instead of just bottling it up. Her vision turned cloudy and a little red as she thought of all the reasons why she had a right to be angry at Sasuke.

Anger for so easily letting them go, anger for refusing to let them help, anger for all the potential for how things could and should have been, for forsaking the village, for going to Orochimaru, for killing his own brother, even if he was justified in doing so...

Sakura, in a moment of momentary clarity, acknowledged she was afraid of the anger she felt towards Sasuke because she knew that was what spurred him to do what he did. But then she knew her anger differed from Sasuke's. His anger was cultivated out of a compulsion for revenge; hers was what developed in the aftermath of hurt and pain.

She wondered if she hadn't been so emotional that day when she saw him how different things would have turned out. Would she be with him right now, following through on her facade of supporting him while secretly plotting how she could get him to return to the village?

No. No matter how she felt about Sasuke she could never match his level of degradation, even in pretense. Perhaps the outcome would have been the same no matter what she did: he would try to kill them all to get them out of his way. She thought, just like Naruto, that once the deed with his brother was done, that Sasuke would be ready to come back to Konoha. But when they learned that instead Sasuke joined Akatsuki, to hers and Naruto's utter dismay, Sakura knew that there probably wasn't going to be any redemption. That was why she told Naruto she loved him, in hopes that he actually believed her and he would stop going through with his promise to bring Sasuke back. That was why she was going to kill Sasuke herself because she now thought he was irredeemable.

When her thoughts reached this point, as they had so many times before, tears usually accompanied them, but this time she felt nothing but a tiring sense of weariness.

She wanted all of it to be _done_...Sasuke's betrayal, the war...everything. But seeing as it was pointless to wish such things, after one last tug on her hair, Sakura got up and left her tent in search for something else to occupy her time and ultimately her dreary thoughts.

She made it ten steps before she was suddenly surrounded by a mix-matched group of people, all wearing different village attire.

"Haruno Sakura?" one called to her. She didn't recognize him.

"Yes?" she answered hesitantly. All of the people in authority had received her report on the clones incident. There was nothing further to get from her.

"Please come with us," he answered evenly, and he started to turn to leave. The others, four men, began to follow.

"What is this about?" Sakura asked, feeling somewhat troubled.

"You've been summoned by Shizune, the captain of the Logistical Support and Medical Division," he responded, not turning around and not stopping.

Sakura huffed out a breath and followed the group. If Shizune wanted to speak to Sakura she would have sent just one person, not a contingent of very official looking war patrons. When they reached the Medical Division HQ Sakura was the last to enter the tent. She looked around and was surprised to find a very somber looking Shizune, along with Shee and the two guys he was eating lunch with earlier.

"What's this about?" Sakura asked again, going to stand next to her senpai.

Shizune shook her head slightly in what looked like an apology. "I'm sorry Sakura, but these gentlemen say that there was an incident in the mess hall regarding you."

Sakura eyes immediately widened and she shot a shocked look at Shee who was dutifully not looking at her.

"These men say that you threw food at them."

Sakura let out a little indignant sound. "I did not _throw _food at them!"

Shizune noticed the emphasis on the word 'throw.' "Okay, not throw, but spilled, or dumped, or whatever-"

"Sheesh," Sakura said angrily, crossing her arms over her chest. Of all the things to be griping about in a time of war...

"If you're going to accuse me of something get your story straight," she said scathingly toward the three men. "I just used a teensy bit of my chakra to touch the table where Shee's tray was sitting and some of his food happened to land on him." She shrugged, hoping it would come off as no big deal.

Shizune sighed. "Sakura, as Second in Command in the Sensory Division, Shee is your superior and you were deliberately insubordinate to him."

Sakura's mouth hung open. Never, not once in her life, had she ever had to deal with a chain of command in this fashion. She didn't know how to respond. She could only stare at Shizune in disbelief. Her senpai shook her head slightly as if to say, 'yeah, I know this is ridiculous.' "I'm sorry, Sakura, but since I am also your superior I am obligated to see that you are..." She winced, "_punished_ appropriately."

Sakura was a little surprised she hadn't felt the bottom half of her jaw touch the ground with the way she knew she was gaping at Shizune. "You're serious."

"I'm sorry," was all Shizune responded with quietly, then she turned to Shee. "Since the offense was against you I will leave it to your discretion to deal with."

When Sakura looked back over at her accusers Shee looked a little...embarrassed and the other two looked smug.

"So if there's nothing else could everyone please...?" Shizune nodded toward the tent opening and immediately turned back to work.

Sakura stayed planted where she was and watched as everyone filed out. Everyone except Shee. She raised her brows at him. "Now?" she asked incredulously.

He finally looked up and she met his usual stoic gaze. "Meet me in the mess hall at 20:00 hours," he replied evenly then left the tent.

Sakura walked over to the lab and looked at a digital clock. She had less than an hour.

"Do you have any idea what he's planning?" Sakura asked Shizune, irritation lining every word.

Shizune shrugged, but Sakura didn't miss how one corner of her mouth turned up in a sly smirk.

* * *

><p>OPA: Operation Pulverize Akatsuki.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

When Sakura walked into the mess hall at promptly 20:00 hours (she was tempted to arrive late on purpose for some show of autonomy but thought better of it) Shee was the only person there. She expected to be facing all three idiots from Kumo but was slightly relieved when she saw him alone stand when she entered.

Before she spoke to ask what her "punishment" was he wordlessly pointed to a corner of the room where a bucket was sitting on the floor and a mop was propped against the wall. For the umpteenth time that evening her jaw fell open. _That _was her task? Cleaning the mess hall? Weren't there shinobi already assigned that duty?

As if reading her mind Shee said, "I asked the person in charge of the kitchen to inform his staff not to clean the mess hall after the last meal was served."

Sakura finally noticed how dirty it was. No. Not dirty. _Filthy. _Wrappers, napkins, plastic cutlery, chopsticks and many other things were strewn over the dozens of tables and on the floor. Mystery piles of goo were everyone, too, along with more identifiable food items such as fish and rice and such. Sakura made a disgusted face. Didn't shinobi have any respect? Sure, they weren't responsible for cleaning the mess but they could act with a little more decorum than a toddler and clean up after themselves, couldn't they?

Sakura would rather do _anything_ than this. She could clean and sharpen weaponry, file paperwork, be an errand girl or messenger for a day, whatever! Anything was better than this!

_'Anything?'_ Inner Sakura asked with a scoff. Images of herself kneeling in front of toilet seats pervaded her mind. Sakura shook her head. Okay. She could do this.

Without responding to Shee she walked over to where the bucket and mop were. Garbage bags were conveniently hung on the side of the bucket and she got to work collecting all of the trash. Shee didn't speak a word to her, just sat back down at the table closest to the exit. He didn't even watch her really. When she glanced up occasionally she saw only his profile as he sat there in contemplation. That peeved her off slightly. It's not like she was untrustworthy and he had to babysit her to make sure the task was completed. Didn't he have better things to do?

Throughout the course of her cleaning various war party members came into the mess hall to speak to him. Sakura's cheeks burned with embarrassment as each person that entered did a double take. Here she was, renowned medic nin and apprentice to the Hokage, wiping down tables.

By the time she started mopping her irritation had blossomed into full blown anger. This was ridiculous! Shee was the one that was acting like a jerk earlier when he didn't want her to sit with him. Anybody would have reacted the way she did, right? Who cares if he was her superior.

She frowned, thinking back on the course they all had to take on war and military etiquette. It wasn't so much different than what she was used to back home since Konoha operated under Marshall Law, but there were many other factors that had to be taken into account now that they were actually at war. They were split into war divisions instead of rank, they had to answer to their division captain, but also had to be mindful of any superior. She knew she needed to heed that course as much as anyone because being the Hokage's pupil gave her a lot of pull back at home, even with jōnin. Everyone was obligated to listen to her requests (more like demands) since most were on behalf of Tsunade-sama, but that was not the case here. If a shinobi refused to comply with Sakura she couldn't run back to the Hokage to tell on them. And the same with insubordination.

Sakura sighed. It was the nature of war, after all. She would have to be more careful next time. Or just be more cunning in her ways of getting back at assholes like Shee so she didn't get caught.

When she glanced up again Sakura saw that Shee now had different visitors...the two other assholes who decided to tattle-tale on her. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she watched them snicker amongst themselves, clearly enjoying the show. Well, the other two were. Shee was listening to them but wasn't including himself in the banter.

It didn't matter. Shee was the clever one who came up with the punishment of cleaning the mess hall since the "incident" happened in this very room earlier. Well, she would show him clever.

She had started at the back and had been working her way forward, closer to Shee, which was perfect. She slowed her pace, not enough to make it noticeable but to give her time to keep mopping until those bozos left. She had to wait a few more minutes and had almost ruined the plan she concocted when she heard one of them make a snide remark about her, as if she couldn't hear, but then they finally left.

Making sure the mop was completely soaked with the murky liquid she stealthily came up behind Shee, concealing her chakra signature. Just as soon as the second one disappeared through the tent flaps she attacked. She swung the dripping wet mop right toward his head and with a squishy squelch it connected.

Knowing that Shee was a ninja and a rather strong one at that, Sakura had milliseconds to react before his inevitable counterattack. She was on the other side of the room before he even turned. But the odd thing was he just stood there, facing away from her, shoulders high and tensed, water dripping down his body. He didn't say anything, but she could sense how he was feeling from the way he was emitting angry waves of chakra.

For a moment Sakura felt uncertain. Maybe she had gone too far.

With deliberate slowness Shee turned, his dark eyes hard and raging. Uh oh. He was really pissed.

And just as fast as she had moved away from him he was coming at her...with the bucket in hand.

With a yelp she dashed toward the only exit she would reach before Shee got to her: the opening to the kitchen. She jumped over the metal serving line and dropped the mop as she went deeper into the large kitchen, her eyes frantically searching for anything to defend herself. She knew she had only seconds before she might feel the water with God-knows-what in it being splashed on herself, and an idea popped into her head like lightening. Like the strike of a snake she moved toward the refrigerator and pulled open the door, using it as a shield. She could hear Shee behind her and she scanned the items in a frenzy looking for the one thing that might make him pause.

Just as she turned around Shee was directly behind her. Just as she had hoped, he paused, noticing the eggs that Sakura carried in both her hands and the rest of the arsenal within easy reach.

"Truce," Sakure panted, watching him warily.

Shee's eyes went wide. "Truce? You fucking hit me with a mop!" he growled.

Sakura cringed. He did have a point.

But she didn't want to give him any advantage, and she _especially _didn't want to come in contact with any of the water Shee managed to drag around without spilling a drop.

"Uh..." She tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for him not to throw the water on her but it became apparent he didn't want to hear any of it. Just as he swung the bucket back Sakura reacted instinctively. She pummeled her eggs at him.

The water splashed on the floor as he dropped the bucket to wipe egg muck off his face. And just like earlier that day when Sakura got food all over him she started to laugh.

And Shee had had enough.

With a speed that belied Sakura's senses he pushed her against the shelves in the fridge, grabbed his own eggs and smashed them on her head. Sakura's laughs turned into full out howls as she too reached blindly for the little white weapons and tried to break them over Shee's head. He grabbed a hold of her wrists though, and they pushed against each other. Sakura was trying to get her eggs on him and he was preventing her from doing so.

With the aid of a little chakra Sakura managed to push him away from the inside of the fridge. Shee could see that she was trying to get him away from the food and tried to take the ones that were already in her hands, which resulted in them breaking, running egg content down their arms. They struggled against each other more. Sakura was actually trying to push him into the puddle of water that he spilled from dropping the bucket. When he realized this it was too late and he slipped backwards, landing hard with a muted "oof." Sakura tried with all her might to wrench her wrists from his grip but she underestimated his strength and ended up falling with him, landing on top of him.

For an endless moment Sakura found herself staring into Shee's dark eyes and he was staring back just as unrelentingly. Neither of them moved, hesitating, but they both sensed when the moment became too awkward and Sakura swiftly backed off. She was assessing the mess on herself and what they caused around them simply so she wouldn't have to focus on Shee anymore when she heard his low muttered, "Ow."

"What's wrong?" she asked, watching him attempting to stand but favoring his right ankle.

"It's sprained," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh! I'm sorry," Sakura said, scooting closer to him. She pulsed healing chakra to her hands and immediately put them around his leg.

She looked up when she heard him chuckle. "I can do this, you know."

Sakura's face warmed when she realized she forgot he was a healer, too. "Oh yeah. Oops. I forgot." But she didn't stop healing him. And he didn't stop her.

He had a peculiar look on his face, like he was little confused about something, but also amused. Sakura refrained from asking what he was thinking. He no longer seemed to be angry so she just let the comfortable silence take over.

When finished she carefully stood and he followed. She sighed when she looked around herself again.

"Here. I'll help," Shee offered quietly, much to Sakura's surprise. Again, Shee filled up the bucket with water and Sakura grabbed two mops. They worked silently in tandem. After wiping the floor dry and putting away the supplies Sakura asked shyly, "So there's nothing else?"

Shee looked at her, again with that bemused expression tinted just slightly with humor, and shook his head. "I think you've received enough punishment." He smirked.

After closing up and shutting off the lights they both went out the back way. Sakura stopped dead in her tracks when she took in the makeshift lake before her, then looked down at herself. She might as well go for an evening dip, that way she would only have to hang her clothes to dry later instead of cleaning each article individually. She caught Shee's questioning expression, probably wondering why she suddenly stopped.

"Want to go for an evening swim?" she asked cordially, gesturing to the body of water.

At first Shee looked dubious.

"Oh c'mon! Your clothes will wash a lot faster this way."

For a few moments he seemed to be attempting to contradict her logic but he eventually found he couldn't and nodded.

They walked to the water's edge then Sakura started to take her boots off which were covered in egg slime. She unwrapped her weapons holster and laid it beside her shoes, then untied her medic skirt. That would have to be cleaned separately since she had all of her medical supplies inside and didn't want to take them all out. Shee glanced at her actions with a raised brow. "You're comfortable with parting from your weapons?" he asked.

Sakura scoffed. "I'm not going far. Besides I don't want my weapon's holster to get wet. It would take forever to dry and that's extra weight I don't want to carry." Then she added in a mildly scolding tone, "Sheesh, will you lighten up?"

"For all we know there still could be enemy nin lurking."

"I'm pretty sure Naruto took care of that."

He didn't respond and Sakura watched with smug satisfaction as he did the same and also took off his arm and leg guards.

The water was like bath water and Sakura waded until she was waist deep before going under. She ran her hands through her hair to get the mess out then came up. She untied her hi-tiate and scrubbed it clean. It was a warm evening with a balmy breeze. The atmosphere of the compound, though the hustle and bustle of duty could still be heard, was quiet and calm. Sakura closed her eyes. It reminded her of home.

She opened her eyes and glanced over at Shee who was looking at the sky, above the tops of the trees surrounding the compound. His expression looked relaxed.

Thinking of home she decided to ask him, "Have you been able to get back to Kumogakure since the start of the war?"

Her abrupt question got him out of his daydreaming and he turned to answer her. He shook his head. "No. "

"Tell me what's Kumo like. I've never been there."

"It's just like any other hidden village," he answered, his tone bearing a slight tinge of impatience, as if her request was a silly one.

Sakura wanted to argue that that couldn't be true. Every hidden village had its own customs and even the way their shinobi were trained altered between each village. Sakura thought of Kirigakure. Before the Fifth Mizukage was appointed leader Sakura understood that the Village Hidden in the Mist operated in a much different way than Konoha, to put it lightly.

"Oh c'mon, not all the hidden villages are exactly the same. For example, like in Konoha, I bet in Kumo you don't-"

"I don't want to hear anything about Konoha!" he suddenly snapped, his dark eyes turning piercing.

Sakura blanched at his venonmous tone. Shee turned his back on her then, effectively ending their discussion. There was enough mystery to this guy that irked Sakura, like earlier when he didn't want her to sit with him and now, obviously not wanting to talk about her home. She didn't understand. Training went so well yesterday. Well, except for the time...

She remembered when he accused the Zetsu clones of being only Konoha shinobi. What an absurd accusation! She also remembered his open distaste of Sasuke. And now how he shut down at the word 'Konoha.'

"Why don't you like Konoha?" Sakura asked curiously. The way his entire body stiffened made Sakura believe she hit the nail on the head. There wasn't a problem with training yesterday because he was ordered to do so, but any interaction beyond training, like her sitting with him, was unacceptable to him.

He didn't answer. Sakura wondered if his dislike was geared toward all other villages besides his own or if it was reserved especially for Konoha.

She sighed, feeling defeated. He didn't owe her an explanation. She wondered what she would have to do to break through that rough exterior of his. Obviously just asking him about it was the wrong course of action. She had an inclination to apologize...for what she didn't even know; 'sorry that you hate my village,' 'sorry that you go from seemingly content to mad in a flash at the mention of my home...'

They were comrades, fighting on the same side. And they were bonded in a particular way because they were both healers. Surely he could appreciate that fact, right? Plus...Sakura was dying of curiosity. Shee was the only Shinobi she met that expressed such blatant hostility against another village. He was also a leader, second-in-command in his unit. He would have to display at least some amount of tolerance for that fact alone. The realization allowed Sakura to choose the best possible method of getting him to open up.

"Look Shee, you're supposed to be a leader. It's unprofessional of you to speak and act so openly against another village. It's your responsibility to be an example to your division and all those under you to act in a way that doesn't make it obvious you're for or against one village. Besides, your bad attitude is not beneficial towards the war efforts. I'm sure the enemy would see your hatred as advantageous to them-"

He suddenly whirled to her, exploding, "You have no idea what you're talking about! You have no clue what I've been through! What my family's been through!"

Sakura's eyes went wide with his partial admission. So it was personal. She should have known. Realizing that he'd said too much he made a clicking sound with his tongue and faced forward again.

A few long beats of awkward silence stretched between them as Sakura contemplated on where to go from there.

"You're right," she said softly, slowly taking a few steps in his direction. She watched as Shee focused on the ripples in the water she created between them. His face was impassive. "I don't know what you've been through, or what's happened. It may not be my place, but as a Konoha citizen I would like to apologize on behalf of those who did you harm. I'm sure there was no ill-intent."

Shee scoffed, closing his eyes. "You don't know," he said simply, then added, "And it's pathetic to use a blanket apology for something that's irreparable."

Sakura frowned, now _really _curious as to what Shee was referring to. Surely it couldn't have been as bad as others stories she's heard. She knew there were shinobi whose family members had been killed by those of another village, but it was hardly ever personal. It was out of duty, because of a mission. Shinobi automatically understand that, seeing as how they probably killed another person's family, too. It's unfortunate but unavoidable, something that must be accepted early on. If every shinobi hung onto revenge they would lose sight of their purpose as shinobi...just as Sasuke did.

And with that thought Sakura decided to take a huge risk with her next statement. Shee would either avoid her from now on or really understand. Sakura deemed this would show what kind of quality Shee was made of.

"I think you're being hypocritical," she stated evenly. Shee's head snapped up and he glared at her.

"How so?" he almost growled, obviously taking umbrage.

"When we met yesterday you looked down on me when we talked about Sasuke. You've fought against him so you know what his story is. But your hatred of my village is based on wanting revenge, right? Wanting to repair something that you say is irreparable." She paused, waiting for a reaction. He merely kept staring at her. "I should look down on you for the same thing. Everyone has a story, some worse than others. Some people, like Sasuke, can't handle what's happened to them and run away. Others come to terms with it and move on."

Sakura wasn't sure which category that put Shee in. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and believe it was the latter, seeing as how he wasn't a rogue shinobi silently killing off Konoha nin, but where Shee was at right now was where it starts; the path toward not accepting something that blinds you from the worthy things in life, like duty and honor...and love.

Sakura looked deeply into Shee's unreadable eyes for a few moments longer, then turned and trudged back toward her belongings, leaving him with, hopefully, much to think over.


End file.
